Video Rewind: A Trip Down Memory Lane with Jawbreaker’s “Do You Still Hate Me”

20 years later, it still speaks to the soul.

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Welcome to our weekly feature Video Rewind. Every Friday, a CoS staffer shares a video clip dug up from the depths of the Internet. Today, Ryan Bray celebrates the 20th anniversary of Jawbreaker’s 24 Hour Revenge Therapy by reliving his young punk days with the video for “Do You Still Hate Me”.

My laptop’s adorned with two stickers: one for Fat Possum Records, and the other, hugging the top left corner, pays tribute to East Bay punk icons Jawbreaker. I’m a little too old now to emblazon most of my other belongings with stickers, and my tastes have developed to the point where I’m more likely to spin a Sam Cooke record than, say, a Lagwagon 7-inch. Still, that Jawbreaker sticker reminds me that no matter how old I am, or how my preferences continue to evolve, I’m always going to be a punk kid at heart.

As a general sort of rule, punk rock has a way of skirting the aging process and of making the passing of time feel somehow blurry or altered. For instance, today marks the 20th anniversary of Jawbreaker’s seminal third album, 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, an occasion that doesn’t feel the least bit correct. For whatever set of factors, this record feels uniquely and irrevocably connected to that late teen, early twentysomething mindset. It’s a phenomenon that has less to do with the razor sharp hooks and shredding guitar lines and a lot more to do with the band’s depth of feeling.

Album standout “Do You Still Hate Me”, even in the pantheon of spot-on, coming-of-age Jawbreaker songs, is almost inescapably relatable. Who hasn’t grown up feeling unsure of themselves at times, questioning each and every thought and decision? Who hasn’t commiserated over a relationship gone to hell, especially one in that grey area where things are probably over, unless, of course, maybe they’re really not? It’s a song that appeals to the best of what the band has to offer: earnest, melodic punk rock that’s totally secure in its own sense of absolute emotional insecurity.

I opted to take on this feature because there’s a certain kind of intangible satisfaction that comes with immersing ourselves in the past, and the video for “Do You Still Hate Me” immediately snaps me back to my days as an angsty youth. Within seconds, I’m reminded of all the good things about checking out all-ages punk shows, from the scores of sweaty kids packed in like sardines to the super-small stage and crawlspace-like venue. Escaping into these dens of mischief and depravity used to be the focus of my world, something that now feels completely disconnected from my adult life that’s perpetually shrouded in real-world responsibilities.

But, hey, it’s copacetic. As long as I have this video, and my handy Jawbreaker sticker, I’ll never be totally disconnected from the passion and intensity of my young punk days.